Standard Lemma guide

joyous

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈd͡ʒɔɪəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔɪəs
  • CMU ARPABET: JH OY1 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Full of joy; happy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blissome, blissy, blithe, gladsome, berserk, blissed out, buoyant, chirpy, blithesome, bonnie, bright, cheerful, cheerly, cheery, chuffed, cock-a-hoop, content, contented, convivial, delighted, ebullient, ecstatic, elated, enthusiastic, euphoric, excited, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, fat and happy, gassed, gay, gayful, giddy, glad, gleeful, gleesome, happy, hearty, hyped, high on life, jovial, joyful, joyous, merry, mirthsome, on cloud nine, overjoyed, overjoyous, over the moon, pacific, perky, placated, pleased, satisfied, stoked, thrilled, tickled pink, triumphant, vivacious, wealful, happy as a clam, happy as a clam at high water, happy as a lark, happy as a pig in mud, happy as a pig in shit, happy as a prince, happy as Larry, happy as the day is long, merry as a cricket, merry as a grig, air-headed, blissful, enrapt, rapt, filled with happiness, greatly pleased, lighthearted, orgasmic, walking on air

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective

Meaning 2

full of or characterized by joy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • felt a joyous abandon
  • joyous laughter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: joyless

History

Etymology

From Middle English joyous, joious, from Old French joieus, from joie + -eus.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: alai — full of joy; happy
  • Bulgarian: ра́достен (rádosten) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高高興興 /高高兴兴 (gāogāoxìngxìng) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高兴 (gāoxìng) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喜悅 /喜悦 (xǐyuè) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 快樂 /快乐 (kuàilè) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喜躍 /喜跃 (xǐyuè) — full of joy; happy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歡喜 /欢喜 (huānxǐ) — full of joy; happy
  • Czech: radostný — full of joy; happy
  • Esperanto: ĝoja — full of joy; happy
  • Finnish: iloinen — full of joy; happy
  • Finnish: riemukas — full of joy; happy
  • Finnish: onnellinen — full of joy; happy
  • French: joyeux — full of joy; happy
  • Galician: ledo — full of joy; happy
  • Georgian: მხიარული (mxiaruli) — full of joy; happy
  • Georgian: სასიხარულო (sasixarulo) — full of joy; happy
  • Georgian: ბედნიერი (bednieri) — full of joy; happy
  • German: freudig — full of joy; happy
  • Hindi: आनंदमय (ānandmay) — full of joy; happy
  • Hungarian: boldog — full of joy; happy
  • Hungarian: vidám — full of joy; happy
  • Hungarian: jókedvű — full of joy; happy
  • Hungarian: örömteli — full of joy; happy
  • Irish: lúcháireach — full of joy; happy
  • Latin: gaudibundus — full of joy; happy
  • Māori: matakuikui — full of joy; happy
  • Māori: hihiko — full of joy; happy
  • Māori: kamakama — full of joy; happy
  • Marathi: आनंदमय (ānandmay) — full of joy; happy
  • Marathi: आनंदपूर्ण (ānandpūrṇa) — full of joy; happy
  • Marathi: सानंद (sānanda) — full of joy; happy
  • Middle English: blisful — full of joy; happy
  • Old English: wynfæst — full of joy; happy
  • Romanian: vesel — full of joy; happy
  • Romanian: voios — full of joy; happy
  • Romanian: jovial — full of joy; happy
  • Russian: радостный (radostnyj) — full of joy; happy
  • Spanish: alacre — full of joy; happy
  • Ottoman Turkish: سرخوش (sarhoş) — full of joy; happy